


Distraction

by 3wisellamas



Category: OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes
Genre: I literally can't think of any other thing to tag this as, M/M, Shenanigans, Some salty language courtesy of Boxman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:08:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25945612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/3wisellamas/pseuds/3wisellamas
Summary: Boxman gets his best idea yet:  Why not just take the plaza, and move it someplace else?Unfortunately for him, that "someplace else" ends up being right in front of Professor Venomous' house.  Takes place sometime during late season 1.
Relationships: Lord Boxman/Professor Venomous (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 69





	Distraction

**Author's Note:**

> This was based on a conversation in the Villains' Night Out server. And special shoutout to Moonheart13 and AnonymousEDward, since I used a lot of their ideas!

"So...Ernesto," he started, wearily, "would you care to explain to me  _ exactly _ what you kids were trying to accomplish?"

"Well, sir, we only followed the order you gave us, which was to dig up the plaza and move it somewhere else, all in one night!" Ernesto motioned to Lakewood Plaza Turbo, which was no longer anywhere near Lakewood, successfully plucked from its usual spot on Route 175 by an army of robots and transported without even so much as a scratch, with absolutely no one other than Lord Boxman and his children the wiser. Despite the rather impressive achievement, though, Ernesto shivered, with the shaking creeping into his voice as well, as Boxman's scowl only grew more intense.

"You certainly did! But, may I ask how you decided where to move it  _ to? _ "

"Oh! That's easy, Sir, we just had Raymond cover his eyes and point to a random part of the map!"

"A  _ random part of the map, _ eh? And none of you thought you might want to  _ consult me _ on that spot before bringing the place out here to the Danger Zone?"

"Well...it was 3AM. You were asleep, Sir." Ernesto wiped away another bead of artificial sweat and replaced his hat. 

"I suppose I was, Ernesto..." Boxman facepalmed, growling. "But I can only hope Professor Venomous was as well, and that he missed all of you dropping that accursed plaza right on his Cob-damned doorstep!" He pointed to a tiny corner of Venomous' lab, barely visible atop its hill behind the Fitness Dojo in the early morning sun. 

Somewhere behind them, Raymond yelped as one of his siblings smacked him right in the nose.

"Don't you start!!" Boxman stomped in the dirt, getting all of his kids' attention. "Professor Venomous will be waking up any minute now, and that plaza had better be  _ out of here _ before he looks out his window!"

"But it took us three hours just to get it here," Darrell complained. "And how do you know this is when Professor Venomous wakes up, anyway?"

"NOT IMPORTANT." Boxman shoved a well-worn shovel into Darrell's hands, interrupting him. "I want all of you working to move it, however long it takes. NOW!"

"Yes Daddy!" The other robots took up their shovels as well and got right to work, beginning the slow process of digging the plaza back out of the rocky ground.

"And now," Boxman sighed, ensuring his usual lab coat looked relatively presentable, "it's time for me to get to work as well." He took a deep breath, and loudly knocked on the door before rudely letting himself right inside.

"Heya PV!" Just as the astonished man pulled some pancakes out of the microwave Boxman snatched one and stuffed it right into his mouth, not even minding the temperature, while Fink, the pancakes' intended recipient, grunted in disappointment. "I just figured I'd stop by and see how you were doing!" He ran his organic eye up and down the professor, taking in his rather surprising early-morning attire, a black and green housecoat and cute snake-headed slippers.

"It's a little early for that, don't you think?!" Boxman reached over for another pancake but Venomous pulled the plate away, lest his minion lose the rest of her breakfast.

"Oh, you know, sometimes I just can't wait to see my best friend! In fact, I had a few ideas we could work on together, if you're not too busy today!"

"...Alright, Box." Yawning, Venomous placed another stack of frozen pancakes in the microwave for his guest, ignoring the strained smile on Boxman's face, as well as him suspiciously taking a second to lower the shade over that one small window in the corner of his kitchen.

\---

"And you're  _ sure _ we can't just skip work today? I don't really think any customers are gonna stop in to our...new location."

"Enid!" KO placed his hands on his hips, frowning. "You know Mr Gar wants us to show up for work every day!"

"Except when we take a day off," Rad added, and then sighed. "I'm out of vacation days, though..."

"Same. Knew I shouldn't have gone to that last Shade-O-Boys concert." Noticing that KO was trailing behind yet again, Enid hoisted him up onto her shoulders. "Still, don't you guys think it's pretty weird that the whole plaza just up and moved to the Danger Zone overnight? Wonder what that's all about."

KO just patted the top of her head. "Aw, Enid, I'm sure Mr Gar knows what he's doing!" 

"Hang on, you hear that?" Rad stopped his friends, pulling them behind a boulder just as they finally approached the plaza. Drifting over the usual Danger Zone sounds of fireballs crashing down, battles raging on, and a few rogue performance artists practicing their acts far in the distance, was a very familiar voice, singing a very familiar song.

"When you're climbin' up a ladder, and you feel a-"

"Shannon, quiet," Darrell shouted in the quietest voice he could muster, "we gotta be in Stealth Mode for this!"

"We were in Stealth Mode all last night, I'm not gonna wake anybody up now!" 

"But Daddy said...Where is Daddy, anyway?" He looked around, but then motioned for his sister to return to work. "Look, just hum it, okay? We gotta get this plaza moved before he gets back!"

"Boxbots," Rad snarled, with his friends poking their heads out behind his. 

"What are they doing here?"

"It sounds like they're the ones who moved the plaza here last night," he explained down to KO. "And who knows what they're planning next..."

"You guys thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" Enid asked, cracking her knuckles and preparing for a fight. Her friends nodded, and the three stepped out from their hiding place.

\---

"Did somethin' just explode outside?" Fink pushed her plate away and tried to look out the window, though thankfully Boxman caught her before she could open the shade.

"Oh, it was probably one of those Danger Zone Sand Worms," he assured her, starting on his second plate of instant french toast sticks, since Venomous had long since run out of both instant pancakes and instant waffles with him around. "There was a whole bunch of them out there when I got here!"

"Well, I suppose it is their...erm...mating season..." Professor Venomous tried to muffle those last two words in front of his minion, and jealously hid the near-empty bottle of syrup as he noticed Boxman searching for it again. "Still, I'd better go make sure the garage is shut, last time they got in there my car got completely trashed..."

"PV WAIT!"

Boxman jumped up, nearly knocking the entire table over as he dashed ahead of Venomous. "How about I check for you? Don't want something like that to get in the way of you having quality time with your minion!"

"You mean like  _ you _ already are?" Fink countered, but Venomous just sighed, pointing down the hall. 

"Alright, go ahead. Just...make sure nothing scratches the paint for me, okay Boxy?"

"You can count on me!" Boxman ducked out the door, sighing in relief, but then as he looked towards the massive plaza right outside the house, which exactly zero robots were digging up, his expression dropped. "Ugh, those kids better not be taking any breaks..."

"Don't worry Lord Boxman, our break isn't for another hour!"

A sudden power fist from KO suddenly knocked the cyborg across the battlefield, where he was pinned to the ground by Enid's boot.

"I had a feeling something weird was going on. So fess up, Boxman, why'd you move the plaza last night?"

"You brats! I wasn't even-!"

A mangled Jethro landed close by, bouncing across the dirt a few times, as Rad joined them. "Welp, that's the last of 'em! The plaza's safe again!"

"Rad, we're still in the middle of the Danger Zone." Enid rolled her eyes. "They call it that for a reason, you know."

She pointed past the plaza towards Venomous' lab, where a couple of giant sand worms were slithering out of the open garage, to Boxman's horror.

"Okay, okay, you win! You got me, I had the robots move the plaza last night! Now let me go, so I can-"

"Can do what? Move it again, to the middle of the ocean or into a volcano or something?" Enid was interrupted by a distant gong sound, and a giant purple box appearing in the sky right above them. "Oh no."

She and Rad jumped out of the way as it crashed down, though thankfully once Darrell busted out of it he pulled his father from the wreckage and set him gently back onto his feet.

"Don't worry Dad, me number 7973's on box duty back at the factory! We'll keep 'em coming!" He grinned, cracking his metal knuckles, as several more boxes fell around them, and the rest of the robot siblings emerged for Round 2.

Boxman glared at him. "He isn't wearing that stupid cowboy hat again, is he?"

"Um…" Darrell accessed his hivemind for a moment, his eye flashing gray a couple of times. "He isn't anymore!"

"Good." With how often Darrell took advantage whenever his father was out Boxman could almost swear that someday the boy would try to take over and run his factory for real, while dressed as a cowboy, to make it even more of an insult. While the battle started anew around him, Boxman ducked around laser fire and flying scrap, finally making his way to the garage. His blood ran cold as he saw the condition of Venomous' precious convertible, and closed the door, hoping to be long gone before the professor noticed.

By the time he reported back to Venomous, quickly slamming the door behind him to muffle the sound of the raging battle outside, he'd managed to change into his usual turtleneck, and had skipped shaving as usual, though instead of his lab coat he was in the process of pulling on a bulky fireproof suit.

"Um, what's this? You've got an experiment planned for today?"

"Well, yeah, one I was working on last night." Venomous pointed out the dark circles under his eyes, and yawned again. "I had to postpone it, though, because I ran out of one of the components I needed. So, I'll need to run out and...restock, first."

A panicked Boxman stopped him as he started towards the front door. "Oh, Professor, you shouldn't have to worry about missing valuable lab time because of one lousy component!" He wiped a few beads of sweat from his forehead. "How about I go out and get it for you instead?"

Venomous hissed in irritation, but considered his offer. "Well...I can't say I wouldn't appreciate it. I never was a fan of harvesting Danger Zone salamander saliva…"

"Harvesting...what?"

"Here, you'll need these." The professor pulled off his fireproof gloves and handed them to Boxman, and also retrieved his lab coat from the nearby coat rack, pulling a photo out of one of its pockets. "And here's a picture of one, so you know what to look for. I don't need a lot, just a quick swab, or if you can't get that at least pull off a tail so I can clone a specimen and get some the hard way…"

Shivering at the teeth of the thing in that photo, Boxman gave him an uncomfortable smile, and a thumbs-up. "Y-You can count on me, PV!"

He hurried back outside to the robot battle in progress, shocked to find far more robots than he'd left -- Darrell 7973 had been busy. The surplus fighters had taken up their shovels to catch up on digging until they were needed, and he perused the plaza perimeter to check on their progress, until the sounds of battle in the distance suddenly stopped.

He pulled the nearest robot aside for an explanation. "Shannon 6408, where are those Bodega Brats? Did you...actually defeat them?" 

She accessed her hivemind for the answer. "Nah, they're on break right now." 

"What do you mean, 'they're on break?' They took a break in the middle of a fight? And you just  _ let _ them?"

Shannon just shrugged. "They went inside the bodega, but we'll beat 'em for good once they come back out!"

"You'd better," he growled, continuing his lap around the plaza. Eventually, he found the robot he sought.

"Mikayla?"

"Mikayla," he responded. "I have a very important job for you. You see this...hideous thing?" Pulling out the photo and passing it to her, he watched the animalistic robot study and sniff it, to his approval. I need you to go out and find me one of those, and bring it back here, ASAP!"

"Mikayla!" She saluted her father with her claws, before bounding off in search of her prey.

As he watched his catlike daughter stalk a few salamander-like shapes off in the distance that were about three times as big as he'd expected from PV's photo, Boxman noticed a Jethro pacing back and forth on his treads near the back of the plaza, unable to even pick up the shovel laying nearby.

"Quit slacking and get to work!"

"I AM JETHRO!"

"That excuse isn't going to work on me!" Boxman picked up the shovel himself, but before he could hurl it at the little robot he heard a distant, victorious "Mikayla!"

"That's my girl!" He smiled, but gasped in terror as Mikayla suddenly shoved a live, thrashing, and  _ very _ angry Danger Zone salamander right into his face. Boxman tried to catch and hold the thing with one of his fireproof gloves, to limited success, and just as he poked at its mouth with the swab it shrieked, its oily breath suddenly igniting as it spat a massive plume of fire at him before finally squirming free and making its escape.

Boxman sadly watched it go, but then noticed that in addition to numerous scorch marks and burns he was also covered in salamander saliva, and holding back a wave of nausea he covered the swab in a thick layer of the substance, before shaking the rest off and returning to the lab.

Venomous' jaw dropped the instant he walked in. "Oh geez, Boxman, I'm sorry! Probably should have warned you, you've gotta be gentle with them or they start breathing fire."

"I'll...keep it in mind for next time." He weakly held up the swab. "I got your disgusting reptile spit, though!"

Venomous accepted it, with a smile. "You really are a lifesaver, Box."

"So, how late were you up last night, anyway?" Boxman started as he led him into his lab, wobbling with each step.

"It was...late." The professor couldn't help but yawn again. "The main lab doesn't have any windows, so I always end up losing track of time while I'm working."

Boxman laughed. "Yeah, I've been there!" As they entered he confirmed, there really were no windows -- he couldn't believe his luck! If he could just keep Venomous working in the lab for a few more hours, until the robots finished their task and moved the plaza out of sight, then he'd be none the wiser!

A beaker on one of the lab benches, half-filled with an orange-tinted liquid, caught his attention. "So, is this what you were working on so late?" He moved to examine the liquid closer, but Venomous quickly pulled him back.

"Careful! The formula's pretty sensitive in this state, too big a shock and it...won't be pretty." Gently rolling the swab of salamander saliva in a nearby petri dish, he motioned for Fink, his ever-faithful lab assistant, to activate a large machine on the counter along the back of the room, and once it was ready he placed the dish into a drawer in its base, letting the device do its thing. A chime sounded, and Venomous held a test tube under the spout on the side, collecting the clear substance that poured out. "Okay, you two, stand back. The reaction could be as intended, or it could just explode, and there's no way to be sure until it happens."

Backing way up into opposite corners of the lab, Boxman and Fink watched as he measured a precise amount of that clear liquid, and then carefully poured the measured amount into the beaker, gingerly mixing it with a glass rod until the entire solution turned clear as well.

"Success," he hissed, turning back to his minion. "Now, which one of our 'test subjects' do you think should have the honor, Fink?"

"Ooh! I know the perfect one!" Giggling in anticipation, the little girl climbed up to a glass cabinet along one wall, containing numerous potted bonsai trees. She ran her finger across a few of the pots before selecting one labelled "Deathpuncher 4000," slamming it down onto the lab bench in front of her boss. As Boxman cocked an eyebrow at the plant's name, Venomous chuckled, motioning back to the cabinet, which contained other specimens with labels just as bizarre -- "Hammersmash the Insatiable," "Slam Fistman," "The Judge," "Big McLargehuge," etc.

"I let Fink name all of my biological test subjects, and track how many experiments each one survives. It keeps things interesting for her." Hanging on the wall next to the cabinet was a large chart, on which Fink placed a sticker next to Deathpuncher 4000, bringing its total up to five.

Still staying a reasonable distance, Boxman repositioned himself to watch over the professor's shoulder. "So, what, erm, exactly is this stuff supposed to do?"

"Just watch…" With a giddy smile, Venomous carefully collected a little of the experimental compound in an eyedropper, held it over the plant...and let loose one single drop. Instantly, the leaves shook and fell off onto the dirt, the wood writhing as the chemical reaction took hold, and soon enough the tree's branches shook off their bark, with multicolored tentacles bursting out in their place.

"Haha, yes!!" An overjoyed Venomous jumped up out of his seat, but as he did so he stumbled again in his drowsiness, and his sleeve accidentally brushed up against the beaker, spilling the substance within across the lab bench and onto the floor.

As he stared in shock, Boxman gripped his shoulders. "You can...make that stuff again, right? 

"I can," he eventually replied. The man still had tears in his eyes, though. "I'll have to ask you to find another salamander, though."

"Oh, I can take care of that for you, no problem!" If it kept PV in his lab, Boxman could handle anything, even another one of those filthy monsters.

Fink dutifully retrieved some cleaning supplies, but before she could begin mopping up the spill the floor began to shake, and more tentacles burst out of the tiles, writhing and trying to grab at Venomous and Boxman, who ducked behind the bench just in time.

As he poked his head back up, the professor took in the results of his accident. "This is...incredible. I didn't anticipate the formula being this effective at all!" He whistled, and Fink obediently pounced onto the mass of tentacles, tying them up so that the danger they posed was minimal. "Seems it isn't limited to only organic matter, but plastics, ceramic tile, and possibly even metal…"

"Metal? You think it might even…" For a moment Boxman considered offering up one of his robots as a test subject, but kept his mouth shut lest he inadvertently give away their presence outside.

"I'll see if I can't mix up a new batch to bring the next time I visit Boxmore!" He smiled down at Boxman. "Shoot, which reminds me. I forgot I needed to get all that paperwork for my next robotic shipment in order. And...organize the rest of my office, it's more than overdue." 

No, there were still windows that hadn't been covered yet! Reluctantly, Venomous started towards his office, but Boxman caught him by the hand.

"Oh, organizing your office and doing all your paperwork, you say? I'd be happy to help! You don't even need to bother leaving the lab!"

"You really want to organize my office for me?" He hesitated, considering the sheer amount of personal information that could be put at risk if he allowed it, but he crumbled at Boxman's pleading eyes. "I guess it wouldn't hurt. I would like some extra time to take notes on this reaction, and paperwork is just so dull anyway."

"Tell me about it…" Did Boxman really just agree to do Venomous' paperwork? With  _ enthusiasm?! _ His children couldn't finish sooner. As he headed out of the lab and shut the blinds on every single window he passed on the way to the office he sighed; couldn't the professor just buy an Ernesto to do all these menial office chores?

Wait, that was it, Ernesto! He made a U-turn and bolted back out the front door, to the plaza beyond. To his surprise it was quiet, littered with hundreds of broken robots, but none either fighting or digging, nor were any of the three heroes present.

"Are they...still on break?" Curiously, Boxman made his way to the bodega, stepping inside as the doors opened automatically for him.

He looked around the store, groaning. The plaza employees were indeed in there, as were all of his kids, sitting together in a circle on the floor. Except for Mikalya, who was napping in the corner next to a couple of half-eaten Danger Zone salamanders, having apparently gained a taste for the vile things.

In the very center of the crowd, Raymond furrowed his brow, as he stared intently down his nose at the plastic rack between him and Enid, and the different-colored chips housed within. After a few moments of careful consideration, he turned to Jethro. "Which do you suggest, Brother? Third row, or fifth?"

"I AM JETHRO!"

"If you say so…" The robot dropped his red chip into the third row, watching it clatter down, and with a smirk Enid dropped her black one right on top, where it connected with three other black chips. 

"That's four in a row, four times in a row!" She slammed the release lever, letting all the chips spill out the bottom of the rack. "Man, you guys really stink at this!" The heroes cheered, while Raymond's siblings all glared at him, and Raymond in turn gave Jethro an accusatory look.

"You little worm, this is  _ your _ fault!"

"I AM JETHRO," the little robot shouted as he scurried away, finally waking Mikayla as he hid behind her.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Boxman stomped a few times, getting everyone's attention. "Why aren't you digging up this miserable plaza, and why are you playing a game with these goody-two-shoes losers instead of thrashing them?!"

"We're on break," Raymond responded with an innocent smile.

" _ You don't GET breaks! _ " The cyborg hurriedly shoved his children back outside, before turning to his hero nemeses. "And you twerps better not interfere this time, or else."

"Or else what," Rad retorted, holding up the empty game rack, "you're gonna play checkers with us or something?"

"That's not even checkers! Technically!" Boxman slapped it out of the alien's hands. "If it weren't for you three they'd have this sorry place out of here by now, right back across the street from Boxmore where it  _ doesn't  _ belong!"

KO squinted up at him, confused. "Wait, you guys were trying to move the plaza  _ back? _ " 

"Yes!!"

"Geez, Boxman, we're sorry!" Enid gave him a look of rare sympathy as she spoke. "If you had said something, we probably would have even helped you out!"

Boxman could only stammer in response. "I-I TRIED to! And now if you brats will excuse me, I have to go keep Professor Venomous from noticing until the plaza's finally gone."

"What'll happen if Professor Venomous notices the plaza?"

He shuddered. "I don't know, I don't want to know, and if you brats value your lives you don't want to find out either." He almost warned them about that new tentacle-generating substance, but decided it would be better to surprise them with it later.

Rad pulled his coworkers into a quick huddle. "Well, what do you say, guys? Help Buttman move the plaza back right now...or give it a couple more hours and mess with 'im?" He didn't even have to ask, as KO and Enid nodded in approval. The latter even confidently strode out the automatic doors and, ensuring that Boxman was watching, kicked the nearest robot in the head.

"No, no!" The other two bolted out onto the battlefield as well, with Boxman trailing behind, powerless to stop them. As Darrell ran past him into the fray he grabbed the bot by the shoulders, snarling. "Darrell, send some more boxes and take those pests out for good, now!"

The robot's eye flashed gray again, as he consulted his copy back at the factory. "We're sending everyone out as fast as we can, Daddy! If you want more we'll have to pull some from customer orders, and you know what Ms Cosma did the last time her robotic shipment 'had errors in the manufacturing process'..."   


"I don't care, just get them out here!" He could handle Cosma's disappointment. He couldn't handle Venomous'. 

He let Darrell join his siblings, with even more boxes crashing down around them, but as an Ernesto broke out of one of them Boxman grabbed and dragged him back to PV's lab. "Not you, Ernesto 4129, I've got something special in mind for you."

Right away he led the big robot up to the professor's office, gasping as he realized just how big a bullet he'd dodged -- the walls were covered in wide-open windows, giving an amazing view of the surrounding Danger Zone, the giant doomsday weapon perched above the garage, and the plaza out front, as well as the heroes somehow keeping up with the increasing onslaught of robots.

A mountain of loose papers, contracts, and receipts littered a large desk in the middle of the room, even spilling out across the floor and bursting out of several filing cabinets in the corner, with little indication what was what or what needed finishing. Boxman didn't even try, simply pointing to the mess. "Ernesto...do your thing."

Ernesto's eye lit up, as the robot sighed in relief at not having to fight like the rest. "Yes, Sir!" He got started right away, with a rather uncomfortable Boxman just leaving him to it. A messy office was a productive office, true, but in contrast to the rest of the spotless lab, and how neat and well-put together Professor Venomous always was himself, it was just...out of place, and made him feel uneasy. Besides, he just couldn't stand paperwork.

Just as he thought he was finally in the clear, though, Boxman returned to the living room only to bump right into Venomous again, with Fink in tow.

"Box, I thought you were organizing my paperwork for me?"

"Oh, yes! The...The paperwork!" Pulling at his collar, Boxman strained to explain his presence, coming up with little more than "Already got it taken care of!"

"Oh, wow! I never realized you were so good at organizing!" He swooned at Venomous' undeserved praise. "In that case, I hate to ask this, but I have another thing that you could handle for me. Don't worry, though, this should be just as easy for you!"

He motioned to the pouting minion at his side. "It's time for Fink's piano practice, but lately she's been choosing to play videos game instead." He frowned down at her, getting a tongue stuck out at him in response. "While I'm in the lab I'd like you to just stay here and make sure she actually gets some in this time. She's got a big recital coming up next week, and a lot to catch up on!"

Boxman gulped, glancing over towards the piano taking up half of the living room, the TV and game console taking up the other half, and the big windows along the wall behind both, whose blinds were thankfully still closed. Surely this couldn't be too difficult, could it? She was just a henchman, he could keep her at bay, and from taking a peek outside.

"Piece of cake! I can handle pwecious wittle Fink for a little while!" The rat girl bared her teeth, but at another disapproving glance from her boss she was subdued, and slowly made her way to the piano, opening up her music book and pounding out a few (incorrect) notes.

The man smiled proudly, despite the sound. He whispered, "Isn't it just music to your ears," disappearing back into his lab before Boxman's reply, a resounding "NO," could be made. 

The instant PV left, though, she thankfully stopped playing, and threw the book down in disgust. 

"Okay, here's how this is gonna work Boxbutt!" The girl gave a shocking growl for her size. "I'm gonna play videos game, you're gonna let me, and if you say even a word to my boss I'm gonna feed you to one of his experiments! Got it?"

"Oh, uh...sure thing, Fink!" Boxman laughed nervously, obediently standing aside as the rat girl started up her game, which to his delight happened to involve plenty of loud explosions and other battle noise, which slightly masked the sounds coming from out front. 

Boxman even peeked out through the blinds at the fight, unable to resist, seeing things escalate even further as apparently Mr Gar had finally noticed his precious store was missing, and arrived to join his employees in battling Boxman's desperate robot hordes.

"Bodegamen!"

"Yes, Mr Gar!" The three hero brats saluted their boss.

"Get back to Lakewood and get that big hole the robots left cleaned up, chop chop! Leave the plaza to me." They saluted again, and fled, leaving Mr Gar alone, right in front of his store. "Now, where'd I put that spare key to the plaza…"

"Hey, what the heck's that plaza doing out there?!" Somehow, Fink had squirmed past Boxman to poke her nose into the blinds as well. "Did  _ you _ do that? Oh boy, Boss is gonna  _ love _ hearin' about this!"

"No!" He shoved her right back onto the couch, and the controller back into her hands. "Fink, whatever you do you cannot tell Professor Venomous about this!" 

She smirked up at him. "Or else what, Boxbreath?"

"Or, uh…" His heart dropped as, through the window, he watched Gar demolish the last of the robots, even blasting their remains with his elbows until zero traces of them remained. He had lost...almost. "Or Professor Venomous will hear about you playing videos game instead of practicing this whole time!"

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me,  _ Stink _ ." The little girl thought she had the upper hand, but in reality she'd made a major tactical error, one that Boxman had learned from far too many close calls lying to his board of investors: if you're going to try and blackmail someone, don't give them something else to bust you for right back. It was just a matter of who squealed first. "Oh, Professor!"

"No! Boss!" Fink took off, bounding across the living room towards the lab on all fours, though with Boxman keeping up right behind her. Seeing this, though, she took a shortcut through a nearby air vent -- Boxman slowed, giving up as he realized there was no way he could beat the girl on her own turf. 

Already exhausted by the brief chase, he leaned by another window, noticing through the blinds that Gar had disappeared, leaving the plaza empty and still, but only a few silent moments later the ground shook, as the stores themselves shuddered and started to shift in place, until finally pulling themselves into a vaguely humanoid shape, with Gar's Bodega as its "head."

A booming voice yelling "PLAZAMO ACTIVATED!" echoed across the Danger Zone, and just as quickly as she'd formed the giant plaza robot lumbered off into the distance, in the direction of Lakewood.

Why did no one tell him that that accursed plaza was really a giant robot? Also,  _ why _ was that accursed plaza really a giant robot? Clutching the blinds in astonishment, Boxman whispered, "What...the  _ fuck!? _ " 

"Box, I've asked you six times now, please watch the language in front of Fink."

Boxman jumped at the professor's voice, as the man suddenly appeared behind him, with his minion at his feet. For a moment he tried peeking through the blinds as well, but, dissatisfied, raised them completely, revealing nothing but the giant hole where that morning Lakewood Plaza Turbo had stood.

"But it was there! I saw it," Fink whined, tugging on his lab coat. With a hiss, she snarled up at Boxman. "I know you did somethin', fess up Boxbutt!"

"Fink, I think we've heard enough!" With a pat on the head, her boss temporarily defused the coming argument. "Of all the excuses you've made up to get out of practicing for your recital, this might be the most ridiculous yet. She... _ was _ practicing, wasn't, she, Box?"

He shrugged. "Oh, no, she was playing videos game the whole time!" Check and mate, kid.

Venomous sighed, catching her as she attempted to launch herself at the cyborg. "Fink, I'm sorry, but we discussed what we'd have to do if you kept neglecting your practice time."

Her eyes widened. "No, no! Anything but that!" She clung to his pant leg, pleading. "I'm sorry, I'll practice from now on! I promise!"

"You certainly will," he said with a smirk. "After dinner tonight, and every night until the recital, instead of dessert."

"NO!!" She fell to her knees, pounding the floor with her fists.

"Heh, quit whining Fink, that's not so bad!" Boxman snickered, which only riled her up more. "Why, if you were my minion, you'd be headed right for the incinerator about now!"

"Boxman!" Venomous scowled, and suddenly any ground he'd managed to gain was pulled out from under him. "Why didn't you stop her from playing videos game, anyway? You were right here, weren't you?"

"I-I, uh…" Whoops, caught in his own rat trap -- Fink didn't even have to squeal on him after all. "Well, s-she started it, and I was busy, um…"

"Professor Venomous, great timing!" With the  _ worst possible _ timing, Ernesto bounded into the living room, his arms full of completed paperwork. "Everything's alphabetized, categorized, and properly filed! I hope you don't mind that I left a few overdue forms on your desk, though, so you can get to them right away."

"...What is he doing here, Boxman?" Venomous just stared at the robot in disbelief. "And I thought you said you had the paperwork taken care of?"

"Well, that's how I took care of it!" Boxman laughed nervously. "You never know when you're gonna need a robot, so I always keep one in my back pocket!"

He discreetly kicked Ernesto, who agreed. "O-Oh, right! He sure does, Sir!" Boxman could only sweat, hoping that PV wouldn't ask how exactly Ernesto, one of Boxmore's larger models, could be considered pocket-sized, even for the largest pair of pants in the universe.

To his relief, though, Venomous actually seemed to buy it, shooing Fink back towards the piano.

"Whoa, is that a baby grand?" Following the two, Ernesto examined it approvingly. "I haven't played one in forever! May I, Professor?"

"Uh...sure, go ahead." With Venomous' approval, Ernesto sat next to Fink on the bench, playing a quick tune on his own, before motioning for Fink to join him. Eventually with his encouragement, she even played him the material she'd been working on.

"Huh. She's actually practicing." Venomous yawned, leaning against Boxman on the couch as they listened to the impromptu duet. "I had no idea your robots were so...musically-inclined."

"Oh, we've always been a musical family, but Ernesto especially! He even taught Darrell and Raymond how to play guitar, for some reason." They watched as Ernesto gave Fink a few tips, and her playing quickly improved. "He's pretty much in his element with Fink over there."

Venomous eventually laid his arm across Boxman's shoulders and leaned against him on the couch, clearly struggling to keep awake. "So, are the rest of your robots coming back to fill in that hole they left?"

Boxman's jaw dropped, prompting a laugh as he continued. "I was up late enough that I actually watched them put it down out there, so yeah, I knew."

"You...you really knew this entire time?" Dejected, Boxman glanced up at the professor. "Then...why didn't you say something?"

He just shrugged, a playful smile on his face. "You're pretty fun to tease like that, Box. Though, I admit, I did appreciate you doing all that you did for me today, even if it was all just to keep me in the lab."

If the much taller man weren't leaning on top of him, holding him down, Boxman would have been in the clouds by that point. "Oh, it was nothing," he muttered, tapping his fingers together. Truly, it wasn't -- he'd gladly go through ten more days like that one, if it meant his PV leaning on him like that.

To his disappointment, though, Venomous yawned again, and stood. "Hey, can you and your robot stay with Fink again while she's practicing? I'll drive you home once I wake up from a nap." He winked. "Just the two of us, in my car."

"Oh!" A deep blush filled Boxman's face. "Right, just the two of us! Together! In...In your car." The instant Venomous left the room he panicked, snatching Ernesto from his seat, shoving Fink's videos game controller into her hands when she objected.

"Come on, Ernesto, we have a sports car to rebuild," he whispered as he dragged the large robot down the hall towards the garage. 

"Excuse me, Sir?" Ernesto's tone dropped as Boxman opened the garage door, revealing little more than a pile of scrap metal, left behind earlier by those Danger Zone Sand Worms. "...Oh."

The robot frantically tried to back out, insisting he was only a business bot and that Darrell or Shannon were a much better fit for something like this, until he realized the car had once been made of the same metal he was, and the true intent behind Boxman's words dawned on him. "We have until Professor Venomous wakes up," Boxman explained, pulling a wrench and a blowtorch out of his lab coat pockets with a sinister smile. "But...at least this'll be way easier than digging up a whole plaza!"

  
  



End file.
